How To Improve Your Fanfiction
by LunaMarr
Summary: A multi-chapter writers aid created by a multitude of readers and writers and collected here. If you have anything you would like to contribute please leave it in a review or a pm, We hope this helps and good luck! :D
1. Introduction

Before I start please allow me to let you know that I am not a fanfiction god. (However I do have some friends who are that have kindly contributed to this), I am not the best writer in the world and do not believe I ever will be, however I am an avid reader and as such know what will make me immediately hit the back button whilst reading. Hopefully this will assist those who are having any troubles writing/keeping readers! Just go to the chapter that you need assistance on and I hope that this helps, Thank you.


	2. Grammar and Spelling

**SPELLING/GRAMMAR ERRORS**

Spelling/grammar mistakes are not appealing; it can ruin the mood of a story when the reader is constantly "fumbling" when reading due to mistakes. If a story has constant mistakes it says that the writer is either uneducated or is not taking their story seriously enough to proof read.

Luckily there is an easy fix! If you have Microsoft Word, it will underline and grammar/spelling usage mistakes you may have. Right click and you can see the correct spelling of the word. However if you do not have Word, you can use the internet; (Dictionarycom, Thesauruscom, and there are grammar checkers online as well). If you do not have the patience to do this for every word you may suspect or use a dictionary, you can put your story up for beta testing and they will help you greatly with all elements of your writing. (Spelling, grammar, plot, word usage, etc.)

**COMMON MISTAKES**

Your/You're:

Your: Used to show possession:

Example: _It is your shoe._

You're= You are:

Example:_ You're the one being sarcastic._

Their/There/They're:

(Spelling wise, all begin with 'the')

Their=possessive, used for people: 

Example: _The shoe is theirs._

There=place:

Example: _Let's go there!_

They're=they are:

Example: _They are the ones talking._

Its/It's/Its':

Its: Possessive

Example: _Its mine, not yours._

It's=It is/It has:

Example: _It's purple!/It's four legs._

Its': No such word!

To/Too/Two:

To= to be/to become, a preposition:

Example: _Go to sleep._

Too=commonly used as exaggeration:

Example: _Kate? Oh, she doesn't talk too much._

Two=a quantity:

Example: _There was two of each._

We're/Where/Were:

We're=we are:

Example: _We're too short to reach the cereal boxes._

Where=a place:

Example: _Where are we?_

Were:

Example: _We were going to, but we forgot._


	3. Cursing and Your OC

**CURSING**

Just because you're a big kid now doesn't mean you have to make each of you characters have a potty mouth. Cursing can make sense in dire situations, or if your character comes from/lives on the 'wrong side of the tracks;' however it can also make your story seem like an endless stream of censor blurbs. Cursing though popular in the teen years /young adult stage is unsightly and case sensitive. Instead of widening your reading spectrum it will shrink it, as can other explicit material. When used too often it can make your character seem immature or easily angered which will give your character a negative feeling.

If you do write some curse words, don't sweat it, in real life people do curse whether something bad happens or they are surprised.

Remember, if your person is of a certain religion, (truly, not just claiming to be) they will not take the name of their God/Idol/Leader in the same sentence as vulgarity. Cursing like this shuts off many readers, and you may find yourself with some flames later on.

Just because you have explicit cursing doesn't mean that your story is automatically bad or that you won't have readers/reviews; plenty of stories are popular with open language. However it is wise if you are going to have a lot of cursing to either warn the readers in the summary or to raise you rating to 'mature.'


	4. Writing a Summary

**SUMMARIES**

I have asked around on this one, and everyone I know has agreed to several things.

When writing a summary **DO NOT** include any of the following:

A: Bad summary/better story inside!

B: First story, please read and review!

C: On Hiatus until more reviews

D: "…"

You are not a dog, so do not beg. (If you were how are you be reading this now?) People are drawn to confidence, and if you cannot hold it together in the summary than it is likely your story is the same.

Include the below instances if they occur in your story in the summary:

A: Character death

B: If there are OCs abound, let them know!

C: If there is a romance, use the shipping name or tell the readers who is being paired. (They may be looking for a specific shipping or do not favor the same shipping you do.)

D: If there is explicit content (Ex. Drug and alcohol abuse, sexual content and or violent/aggressive themes)

Every writer has problems at some point or another writing a summary, do your best and include as much general plot information as possible, but keep it short and light! Remember, you want the reader to know just enough that they are aware of what they are going to read, but do not necessarily know the whole story.


	5. Mary Sues and OCs

**MARY SUES/HARRY STUS/GARY STUS/MARTY STUS**

Mary Sues are characters with genius level intellect, a supermodel body and a set of skills that would take five lifetimes to build. They often have stunning green emeralds/ Stormy grey orbs/ crystalline blue sapphires/ mystical purple belaying mystery/ or brown doe-like innocence for eyes. Their hair is often very long, or rebelliously short, and ranges from pale silky blond, raven black (often it has red highlights as well), chestnut brown, rebellious red, a mystical white, or is neon blue or another shade from the color spectrum. (HINT: Try to avoid giving your character color changing hair or eyes, though interesting it is often used and fails to give your character a unique, original quality)

Mary Sues are loved by most of the cannon characters and the 'bad guy/girl' greatly fears them or wishes to seduce them. They have a stubborn mind-set and refuse to be beaten and in the end make it out alive with their swooning love-interest despite whatever events they are put-through. (In no surprise to the reader) A Mary Sue is usually the author's projection of themselves into the story without their flaws, or the "ideal" protagonist.

Examples:

Bella Swan from _Twilight_

Nancy Drew

Eragon from _The Inheritance series_

Do not worry if you are a Mary Sue writer, Sue's can make excellent stories as well as a flawed yet in-depth character. Looking at the stories above, Nancy Drew and the Inheritance series both are excellent stories despite their exceptionally gifted heroes/heroines, because the authors made sure to have excellent plots and interesting twists.

If you have a Mary Sue or their gender equivalent, don't fret, and if you feel you have to change your story; here are some ideas:

Parody/Comedy- Mary Sues make excellent targets for comical stories, and due to their apparent invincibility they can prove difficult for Cannon characters to deal with. In order to write a successful story, remember to keep the remanding individuals in character, this makes the story funnier and more readable. (This technique also works great for crossovers)

Not Perfect-

Work a weakness or fear into your Mary Sue (such as arachnophobia), something they can't seem to learn or can't stand. (Ex. If your character is a martial arts master, make him shy around the ladies to give him more depth and add realism to his character.) Indiana Jones is a Gary Stu, however he is salvaged by adding his fear of snakes and keeping the remaining plot and characters strong but interesting.

If you're writing a romance you can have the characters love interest help them to overcome their fear, but be sure to have your relationship developed; fear is a powerful feeling and your character must have feelings great enough for the person that can overcome that fear in order to be realistic. In other words, don't have your protagonist get over their fear just because they think another character is attractive.

If you are writing more of an action/adventure story you can have your character get over their fear on their own during a moment of intensity where they are needed and must confront their fear in order to succeed, or can have another character force them into confronting their fear. (Note that this can make the forcer appear cruel or vindictive to the reader if their reasoning is not later explained or they are not a developed character)

Those Annoying Ticks-

Even if your character isn't a Mary Sue, describing their habits (albeit not all good ones) is good for adding realism to your story. Perhaps when our character becomes afraid he/she gets a nasty case of the hiccups that tends to get him/her into trouble. Lip biting, nail biting, pencil biting, cracking their knuckles/neck/limbs, grinding their teeth, sleep walking/talking, hair twirling, twitches, and clicking their nails are all realistic habits that make your character feel _human. _Don't be afraid to put these habits into your story just because they make your character seem Mary-sueish or are annoying; real people have both endearing and annoying traits that balance each other out! Find a center of gravity for your character and begin creating layers of qualities and memories that make him/her real.


End file.
